Apparatus for treating tobacco.



Patented Jan 30, I900.

A. v. HYSORE. APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

(Application filed June 18, 1898.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheefs-Sheet l.

. a R m MW M N m wry a WITNESSES Patented Jan. 30, I900. A. V. HYSORE.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

(Applicacibn filed June 18, 1898,)

a" Sheets-She'et 2.

(No modem [NVE TOR 7 Attorney WITNESSES WML THE Ncnms Pin? 00.. PHOYn-Lm'm. war-(mums. n. c.

NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALPHENAS V. HYSORE, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO WILLIAM J WHITEHURST AND S. P. MAYO, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 642,455, dated January 30, 1900.

Application filed June 13,1898- Serial No. 683,800. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALPHENAS V. HYsoRE, a resident of Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Tobacco; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for treating tobacco, and more particularly to an improvement on Letters Patent No. 601,654, granted to me April 5, 1898, the object of the invention being to provide a simple device for quickly and economically holding the tobacco and preparing it for the drying and ordering processes; and the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aviewin longitudinal section of myimproved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a view in plan. Fig. 3 is a view in cross-section, and Fig. 4 is a detail view.

1 represents a vat or tank rectangular in shape and open at the top. This tank is to be filled or partly filled with a solution of licorice or other preparation with which tobacco is treated preparatory to ordering. The tank is provided with the dead-block 2, which latter terminates below. the top of the vat. Secured to the bottom of the vat are the bearings 3, in which are mounted the double-crank shafts 4 and 5, the latter of which carries the sprocket-wheel 6. These shafts are each provided near opposite ends and at points at each side of said vat with double diametrically opposite cranks 8, and mounted on the cranks 8 are the pitmen 9 and 10.

The pitmen 9 are secured at their upper ends to the respective ends of a series of transverse bars 11, and the pitmen 10 are secured at their upper ends to the respective'ends of a series of transverse bars 12. Rake-bars 13 are secured near their respective ends to the under faces of the transverse bars 11, and similar rake-bars 14: are secured at their respective ends to the under faces of the transverse bars 12, so that when the crank-shafts are operated the rake-bars will be given a longitudinal, as well as an upward, movement.

The rake-bars are constructed with integral teeth, as shown in the drawings, their front ends projecting upwardly at an obtuse angle from the body or horizontal portion of the rake, and each is provided with projecting teeth 17, the teeth on the upwardly-projecting ends of the bars having a downward inclination, so as to grasp the tobacco and carry it onward. The rake-bars 13 and 14 are arranged alternately,'as shown, and as the bars of each series are rigidly attached to their respective transverse timbers and as they are actuated by the diametrically arranged cranks, as previouslydescribed,it follows that as one series of bars are moving downwardly and rearwardly toward the discharge end of the apparatus the other series of bars are movin g upwardly and forwardly, with their teeth elevated above the teeth of the other series, so as not to interfere with the progressive movement of the tobacco toward the discharge end of the apparatus. The bars 12 are cut away, as shown at 18, to permit them to be elevated sufficiently to carry the rake-teeth of the rakes carried thereby above the teeth of rakes 13, and bars 11 are cutaway, as shown at 19, so as to permit the teeth of rakes 13 to be elevated above the teeth of rakes 14. With this arrangement it will be seen that tobacco deposited in the vat at 20 falls into the liquid therein. As it comes in contact with the raketeeth it is forced downwardly by the alternate movements of the rake-bars and is then forced under the bars and carried along just above the bottom of the vat, toward the discharge end of the latter.

As the tobacco reaches the limit of rearward movement of the rakes 13 and 14,which ends are curved gradually upward, as at a b, the tobacco, thoroughly saturated with the preparation, passes from the rakes onto the belt or endless conveyer 34. This belt or conveyer 34 is made of gummy or other suitable material and is mounted on an idler 35 and passed around the lower presser-rolls 36 37 and between the rolls and the upper presser-rolls 38 39 and is adapted to convey the tobacco between said rolls. The rolls 36 37 are mounted in standards or uprights 4O 41 and are provided at one end with gearwheels 43 44. Between these gear-wheels and meshing with bot-h is a gear-wheel 45, on the shaft of which is secured a sprocket-Whee146, adapted to receive an endless chain 47 ,which transmits motion to sprocket-wheel 6, whereby to operate the raking mechanism, hereinbefore described. The upper compressingrolls are mounted directly above the rolls 36 37 and can be moved toward and away from said rolls by the screws 48 and springs 49. The screws are connected with the journals and the upper rollers through the medium of the springs 49, which bear against the upper rolls, whereby to force the upper rollers toward the lower with a yielding pressure.

The forward pair of rolls 36 38 are preferably spaced farther apart than the rear rolls 37 39, whereby to pass the tobacco first through a certain pressure and then agreater pressure, thus dispensing with a too-sudden extreme pressure, which would cause the tobacco to lump and clog the rollers.

Automatic scrapers 5O 51, held in position by weights (1, are connected to the standards and adapted to press against the upper rolls and scrape off any tobacco that may stick thereto.

A journal 52, mounted in the frame, is provided at one end with tight and loose pulleys 53 54, over which a belt from any convenient source of power is adapted to run. On one end of said journal a gear-wheel 55 is secured and adapted to mesh with gear-wheel and operate the presser-rolls and rakes.

Various slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus for treating tobacco, the combination of a tank,bearing-blocks secured under the bottom of the tank, two parallel shafts disposed under the tank and mounted in said bearing-blocks, the ends of said shafts projecting laterally beyond the sides of the vat, and each provided near each end with two crank-arms, two pairs of transverselydisposed bars extending across the vat and each projecting laterally at both ends beyond the sides of the vat, bars having depending teeth, connecting the bars of the respective pairs, and pitmen connecting the cranks on the shafts under the vat with the respective ends of the respective transverse bars.

2. In an apparatus for treating tobacco, the combination with a frame, a vat thereon and presser-rollers, of rakes over the vat, operating mechanism mounted under the vat for operating said rakes, an elongated fixed idler secured to the frame and projecting under the forward ends of the rakes at the forward end of the vat and an endless conveyer passing between said pr'esser-rollers and passing about the elongated fixed idler.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALPHENAS V. I'IYSORE.

\Vitnesses:

E. M. CRUTCHFIELD, M. A. WooDELL. 

